Reservoir Proposed for Dawson Forest

Rickey Bevington

After a federal judge ruled that metro Atlanta has no legal right to water from the federal reservoir Lake Lanier, the region is growing increasingly anxious about its water resources. Now, a developer is making a pitch to create a reservoir in a north Georgia forest.

Atlanta-based Republic Resources Incorporated is lobbying members of Atlanta City Council for permission to take 2,000 acres of Dawson Forest in Dawsonville to build the reservoir. That’s according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle.

The City of Atlanta has owned 10-thousand acres of the forest since the early 1970’s, when the city’s Aviation Department bought it for a potential second airport.

The state owns the other 15-thousand acres.

People can hunt, camp and hike the area which contains three major waterways – Shoal Creek, Amacalola Creek and the Etowah River.

But as far as turning some of the land into a reservoir, the Manager of Dawson Forest tells GPB it would be an “uphill battle” because of potential threats to wildlife – especially the federally endangered Etowah River darter.

Also, creating a 2,000 acre reservoir would likely require damming the Etowah River, which would be controversial.